Quarian space shanties
by BoldFullMetal
Summary: Space is big, empty, (and if you're stuck on a ship for your entire life) absolutely boring. So to pass the time, Quarians sing space shanties like their sea faring ancestors of old. This fic won't have much story to it, (maybe later on), but will mostly be looking be at what shanties would look like in the mass effect universe.


**A/N:** _This is a Quarian rendition of the sea shanty "Old Maui" and although there are many acapella versions. The one done by: The Dreadnoughts, is the one I have in my mind at the moment. If you're interested in hearing what it sounds like, go check them out on You tube._

 **Some helpful background:**

 _\- Sung by celebrating Quarians returning from pilgrimage (obviously)_

 _\- The ship they are singing about is called the Shani, (pronounced Shh-Ahh-knee). It is a dreadnought class, Krogan troop transport that the Vol protectorate "gifted" to the Quarian people after their expulsion from Rannoch in 1893 C.E. (council era). The word "gifted" is used liberally as the transport was a derelict left over from the Krogan rebellions, (700 C.E.), and was ticketed for scrap. It took a substantial amount of resources by the migrant fleet to restore her back to working order._

 _\- The Shani is roughly 1500 years old, and is one of the migrant fleets largest Rest & Relaxation vessel. It has five hundred standard clean rooms, one hundred luxury suits, possess every comfort one would find at a high end resort, and possesses an open air garden containing hundreds of species of flora native to Rannoch. Its diverse biological ecology is seconded only by the live ships._

 _\- Her captain is a man by the name of Jas'Jamin vas Shani._

 _\- The ship has a small (by Quarian standards) static population of 946 souls. But caters to roughly three times that number on any given day, and_ _operates around-the-clock to service the needs of weary Quarians looking for a place to lay down their burdens._

 _\- Besides the standard crew, the Shani is famous for her wide variety of "pleasure companions", singers, dancers, musicians, actors, artists, poets, and performers. In recent years the ship has become one of the cultural icons of the Migrant Fleet, and hosts extravagant ballroom galas for special holidays._

 _\- Some of the notable destinations not to be missed are the Shani's three tropical biomes, complete with palm trees, white sandy beaches, crystal clear lagoon, and artificial sun._

 _(If you want an idea of what the ship looks like, do a google search for "BSG botanical cruiser" and "BSG Cloud nine".)_

* * *

 **Song start**

* * *

 _'Tis a damn tough life full of toil and strife_  
 _We pilgrims undergo_  
 _And we don't give a damn when the day is done_  
 _How hard the solar winds did blow_  
 _Cause we're fleet-ward bound from Council space_  
 _With a good ship taut and free_  
 _And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum_  
 _With the girls of Old Shani_

 _Rolling down to Old Shani, me boys_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_  
 _We're Fleet-ward bound from the Council's realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _Once more we sail with a mass-effect gale_  
 _Towards our migrant home_  
 _Our drive core charged, Our salvaging done and we a'int got far to roam_  
 _Six hellish months we passed away_  
 _On the cold galactic sea_  
 _But now we're bound from the Council realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _Rolling down to Old Shani, me boys_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_  
 _We're Fleet-ward bound from the Council realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _Once more we sail with a mass-effect gale_  
 _Through the cold vacuum of space_  
 _Them big silver hulls, Them flotilla ships we soon shall see again_  
 _Our stans'l booms is carried away ward_  
 _What care we for that sound_  
 _A mechanized creation is after us_  
 _Thank the ancestors we're Fleet-ward bound_

 _Rolling down to Old Shani, me boys_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_  
 _We're Fleet-ward bound from the Council realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _How soft the engines hum through our ships hull_  
 _Now the relay is far astern_  
 _Them fertile maids, The last of our kind_  
 _Is awaiting our return_  
 _Even now their big, glowing eyes look out_  
 _Hoping some fine day to see_  
 _Our proud new ship blue shifting 'fore the flotilla_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _Rolling down to Old Shani, me boys_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_  
 _We're Fleet-ward bound from the Council realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

 _Rolling down to Old Shani, me boys_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_  
 _We're Fleet-ward bound from the Council realm_  
 _Rolling down to Old Shani_

* * *

 **Song end**

* * *

 **A/n:** Sorry if it got a little jarring in some parts. I tried my best to keep things space focused but I just couldn't think of replacement phrases for some of the passages. If you would like see more sea shanty's converted into the mass effect universe, leave a comment down below.

Hope you all enjoyed.


End file.
